Metascore®Mixed or average reviewsbased on a weighted average of allcritic review scores.

50

out of 100

Village VoiceErnest Hardy

The costumes are gorgeous, and the settings are plush, but the acting is merely serviceable, and the film lacks either the wit or the energy of its predecessors. Long before it ends, you find yourself indifferent to the fate of the mismatched lovebirds or anyone else in the tale.

A sustained balancing act between dry upper-crust cynicism and pent-up passions, Donald Rice's Cheerful Weather for the Wedding maintains its uneasy stasis long enough to frustrate some romance-hungry viewers while tantalizing those for whom withheld pleasure is the whole point.

Parents need to know that Cheerful Weather for the Wedding is anything but cheerful. A large group of family members and assorted friends gathers for a young woman's marriage in post-WWI England, an event that she seems to be anticipating with dread. Expect plenty of interpersonal conflict as characters act on their various motives (which aren't always pure). There's also lots of drinking (accurate for the era), and some characters get pretty tipsy. There are also some passionate kissing and veiled references to characters' sexual histories, though little is said directly.

Families can talk about how Cheerful Weather for the Wedding portrays relationships. Do Joseph and Dolly belong together? Why is Dolly marrying someone else? What role do social/familial expectations play?

Why do the characters in this period English drama so rarely say what they really think? Do you think that's an accurate depiction of the time period/social class?

Who do you think this movie is intended to appeal to? Does it succeed?

The good stuff

Messages: True love may not always win out; Joseph and Dolly seem to share a romantic connection, but it's not clear that this bond will be enough to bring them together -- not when she's just hours away from marrying someone else.

Role models: Dolly comes from a proper English family and is therefore obligated to conform to many social expectations. Joseph seems willing to ignore convention, but his direct speech is clearly an affront to the more refined characters. Few people actually say what they really mean, so it's often difficult to discern what they might be thinking/feeling.

What to watch for

Violence: Some intense emotional arguments.

Sex: A couple kisses passionately, and there are a few veiled allusions to a woman's sexual history.

Language: Not an issue

Consumerism: Not an issue

Drinking, drugs and smoking: The wealthy characters drink steadily all through the film, including wine, champagne, and scotch. The bride pulls repeatedly from a jug of rum to steel her nerves.

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